Man on the ark, forced to become king

Lani thought for a moment, then gripped the handle with one hand and placed the other hand on the bottom of the pot.

Click~

With a crisp click, the entire kettle base was unscrewed off, revealing the circuit board and miniature energy core hidden inside.

"That's fine. We don't need the circuit board. Take out the core first, otherwise it will burn out."

"Just burn off the plastic on top and leave the metal parts."

"You have to find me a container, right?"

Lin Lu took the kettle, now just a metal shell, looked around, and scratched her head.

This thing can be burned less often, but there still needs to be a place to put it. Once the fire goes over it, it turns into molten iron, and it will flow everywhere.

"Here, here you go."

thump~

A cast iron pot was placed on the coffee table, and Theresa smiled and pointed to the kitchen.

"There's a separate kitchen here, and it's quite well-equipped. Let's use this; it should work."

"I... okay."

An iron pot is an iron pot, it's still a thing, isn't it?

As for the issue of losing money... well, so be it, it won't be much anyway.

Sizzle~ Sizzle~

Orange-red flames enveloped the kettle, and the silvery-white metal was visibly heated to a bright red before deforming and finally turning into molten iron that flowed into the pot.

At this moment, Lin Lu missed Nian, who was always idle. When it came to forging, she was the real expert. If she were here, it wouldn't be so troublesome. She could just swallow the kettle and it would be done in no time. Maybe she wouldn't even need Lani to lift a finger; she could knead all the necessary parts herself.

"Be careful not to burn it completely."

Lani's hands were enveloped in a chilling aura. Without taking any precautions, she grabbed directly. Under the precise influence of the icy power, the molten metal solidified into tiny parts according to her will.

The whole process lasted about ten minutes. The original kettle and the outer rim of the pot disappeared, turning into various parts of different sizes. The metal from just one kettle was not enough, but fortunately, the wok provided by the hotel was large enough and of good quality, so it could be used as a supplement.

The liquefied metal is rapidly cooled into a usable structure.

Without needing blueprints, Lani was confident and immediately began assembling the doll. A silver-white metal doll, identical in appearance to the soul body, quickly took shape in her hands. A miniature energy core was placed inside the doll's chest cavity, and finally, she used her fingertips to outline blue patterns on it, weaving them into magical runes.

A blue light flashed, the core began to supply power, and the blue light on the puppet flashed again before going silent, which meant that the spell attached to it had been activated and could run smoothly.

"Put his soul in there, it should be fine."

Lani was very skilled and confident in this kind of work. She hadn't succeeded on her first try when she made a doll big enough to hold herself. After fully mastering this skill, she almost never made a mistake.

Compared to the soul of a demigod, Bozokasti was still far inferior, further reducing the possibility of accidents.

"Ah."

Lin Lu reached out and picked up the palm-sized soul body that he had placed on the coffee table. Due to extreme weakness, Bozhuokasti's original consciousness was still asleep and unable to wake up.

This state is also safer when placed in a temporary doll shell, to avoid unnecessary trouble caused by active consciousness.

Click~ Click~

Wendigo's soul merged into the doll, and the tiny metal figure, only about twenty centimeters tall, began to tremble. With the blessing of magic, its dormant consciousness began to awaken.

Perhaps due to limitations in the materials used in its creation, or perhaps due to the inherent weakness of its soul, the metal 'Wendigo figure' only began to move again after several minutes.

"Here...you are...Princess Theresa?!"

Two tiny red lights shone from the area around the eyes. The first thing Bozokasti saw when he regained consciousness was Theresa approaching. The doll instinctively took a few steps back. If dolls could also make expressive faces, he would be extremely shocked.

Princess Theresa.

Almost no Sarkaz person doesn't know this name.

Even in the most remote free villages, her story is sung among the Sarkaz.

Her statues stand in cities and villages. Before Kazdel was split, she was already a famous war hero, the successor to the Demon King, and a legendary figure who once led the Sarkaz to defend their homeland.

Those who have met her compare her to a warm sun, gently illuminating everyone.

After leaving Kazdel, Bozokasti never imagined that he would see the prince again one day.

Although the princess had changed her attire and was not wearing a crown, looking like a young and beautiful urban girl, he still recognized her at a glance—this was their Demon King.

"...Bozokasti".

Theresa lowered her eyes and slowly uttered a name.

"Oh, it's you! Long time no see."

"Your Highness!"

With the friction and collision of metal, the miniature Wendigo, only twenty centimeters tall, knelt on the coffee table, bowed its head, and respectfully greeted the passersby.

Even after many years, even though things have changed, His Highness remains the same as before, without the slightest change.

She is the Demon King, the sun, the leader of the Sarkaz, and the ruler of Kazdel. Regardless of what others say, in Borokkast, he still respects this queen.

However, His Highness is still His Highness, but he is no longer a subject of Kazdel; he is... a traitor.

The moment he decided to leave Kazdel and head straight for Ursus, he had already betrayed his homeland and country—a stain he could never erase from his life.

This reason alone made Bozokast feel ashamed to look the Demon King in the eye.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness."

"Stand up, Bozokasti. I'm glad to see you're still alive."

Theresa smiled gently and nodded slightly.

“Every Sarkaz is free. You have the right to decide where you want to go and what kind of life you want to live. I respect your choices and do not see them as betrayal, so there is no need to apologize.”

"I...Your Highness, what's going on?"

It was only then that Bozokastie realized something was wrong.

The shock of meeting the Demon King was so intense that he ignored his surroundings and his own situation. Now that he came to his senses, he found that his body seemed very small and weak, all his strength had disappeared, and he had no sense of reality that his body should have.

He remembered fighting against the Inner Guard on the ice plains, exhausting his strength, burning his flesh and blood, and turning his body into Originium. He should have died.

However, he is indeed still alive, living in an unknown state, his mind still functioning, and his consciousness still clear.

“Your body is dead, but Lin Lu has brought your soul back from the icy plains.”

"Because we didn't have enough materials, we made a makeshift doll out of what we had on hand to barely contain your soul. But don't worry, this state is only temporary. Once we return to the Golden Tree, you will regain your body."

"Resurrection from the dead?"

Bozocasti had this thought in his mind, turned his head to look at the other person standing next to Theresa, and made a bending motion with his not very agile metal body.

"I salute you, esteemed strongman, and thank you for your help to my daughter and my men."

Although he was nearing the end of his life, he still had the ability to recognize breathing.

The powerful figure who suddenly appeared on the ice field and killed the inner guard was undoubtedly the incarnation of the person in front of us. That power was far stronger than his own.

"No need for thanks. You should know, Bozokastie, that you have to pay for what you gain. Everything has a price, including your resurrection. For Theresa's sake, I won't force you to agree to harsh conditions."

"But you still need to repay."

"Sir, what should I do to repay this debt?"

Bozokast did not refute. He knew very well what being brought back from the dead meant and how valuable it was. Such a favor had to be repaid, and he would have done so even if the other party hadn't said so.

"Let me speak, Lin Lu."

Theresa stopped Lin Lu from speaking, her smile fading and her expression turning serious.

In her memory, Bozokastie was a very stubborn person. Once he made up his mind, he would not change it. There was no way to deal with such a person by coercion or bribery. No one could force him to do something he did not want to do. Even if he died for it, he would not waver in the slightest.

Therefore, it's better to let her handle the recruitment; she's qualified.

"Many years ago, you left Kazdel and set foot on the land of Ursus to fight for them. Many years later, you left Ursus again and settled on the frozen plains."

"Then, Bozokaste, answer me, are you still willing to fight for me?"

"..."

Silence, long silence.

Bozokast remained silent for a long while, then slowly shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, my daughter Yelena… she’s still on the ice plains. Right now, I’m fighting for the infected. I will repay your kindness in other ways.”

"Is that your reason for staying on the ice field?"

Theresa sighed and looked at Lin Lu.

The Demon King's power can restrain the Sarkaz. While she can make Bodragas swear allegiance to the Golden Tree, as she said, she respects the thoughts of every Sarkaz.

Now that Bozokastie has found a new faith, there's nothing she can do.

"Icefield? Infected? That has nothing to do with each other."

Lin Lu didn't care at all; he had already guessed that this would happen.

Every strong person possesses their own beliefs, and their will is difficult to shake. They cannot be swayed by a casual remark from someone else, not even if that person is a demon king.

...If Theresa could really do that, then Wendigo wouldn't have left Kazdel in the first place.